Steve's Blog
“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person.” Luke 6:27–28 (The Message)
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Ed Wynn was a popular vaudevillian comedian and actor in the early part of the 20th century. One of his on-stage props was an 11 foot pole to reach out and touch people that other people would not touch with a 10 foot pole. In a memorial tribute to my grandfather, Winston Mattsson-Boze made this application, “We stood for a new kind of Pentecost-- one that held an open spirit, and it refused to choke somebody out because they wouldn’t conform…Ted had an 11 foot pole. Our dealing with difficult ...
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There are 2 dangers that we face in life as followers of Christ Jesus. On one hand, we can become so discouraged by the trials of life, our apparent lack of progress were simply the state of the world around us, but we simply stop trying, while on the other hand, we may think that we have arrived and therefore we can rest on our accomplishments. While these may seem to be polar opposites, the effect on ourselves and those around us is the same, nothing further is accomplished.
In the 3rd chapt...
When we asked Jesus to forgive our sins, and we accepted his gift of salvation, we became a member of the great and glorious body of Christ. But there is also an expression of the body of Christ at the local level; we are many members with many different backgrounds, gifts, interests and abilities. This is in part a mystery as to how God can take different people from different backgrounds and experiences and mold us and unite us together into the body of Christ.
The body of Christ is not a cl...
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:12–13 (NIV)
It is a difficult time for many people who believe that their way of life and their beliefs are under attack from many sides. Issues of terrorism, immigration, instability in financial markets along with moral and social upheaval trouble many people today including Christians. While...
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Motivation is a huge component in our lives and we quickly realize that not everyone is motivated by the same factors. In the business world and in athletics, the leaders who excel are the ones who have learned how to use a variety of incentives and disciplines to maximize their organization’s effectiveness. Someone who is good at motivation helps others by getting them to focus on things larger than themselves.
The apostle Paul had a difficult relationship with the Christians at Corinth, in p...
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
God does not give us a spirit of fear, but from where does it come? It begins with our experiences in life. We begin with a childlike faith, but as the disappointments and heartaches come our way, so do our fears. Obviously some fears are healthy, but all too frequently we project our fears upon God and in doing so we create barriers which prevent us from experiencing everythin...
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)
I have made a conscious decision to not be offended by anyone or anything. Ironically, I can almost state unequivocally that this will probably offend someone.
This is probably easier said than done because, as we all know, there are many offensive things all around us. It is almost impossible to keep track of all of the things in the world around us that fly in the face of decency and stand...
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I sing by myself quite often, in the car, in the shower and sometimes even on my bicycle. Often, a word or a thought will remind me of a song which in turn will remind me of another song and so on. A couple of days ago in the shower I began to sing, “Isn’t He Wonderful?” That in turn led to, “Wonderful, Wonderful, Jesus Is Me” and then “His Name Is Wonderful.” I began to contemplate just how wonderful the Lord has been to me. I began to think about the wonder and glory of God.
The word wonderf...
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Help is on the way
“I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 (NLT)
Psalm 34 was written in a very difficult time in David’s life. In some ways he was the victim of his own success or perhaps more accurately, the success that came from being obedient to the Lord. God’s favor upon David’s life caused Saul to be jealous and as a result David was on the run. David fled to King Achish of Gath because sometimes we think that the enemy of our enemy could...
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Very few “normal” people look forward to difficult trials and tribulations in their lives. In fact, most of us will do everything that we can to avoid hardship and testing. But should we?
In John 16, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the aftermath of his crucifixion. He tells them that they will be scattered in many directions, leaving him alone and yet he will not be alone because the Father is with him. He then proceeds to tell them a most astonishing thing. “These things I have spoken t...
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I recall a Christmas when I was about 10 years old when I did not receive the gifts that I wanted or expected. I was vocal in expressing my displeasure to the dismay of my parents. I was neither pleasant nor civil with my disrespect and ungratefulness. I was immature and did not appreciate all of the blessings and advantages that were mine, but today it reminds me of Christians who are begging and even demanding favor from God. They do not realize how much favor they already possess.
I believe...
Every relationship requires attention and maintenance, even our relationship with God. Let’s look at the challenges, obstacles and opportunities so that we will not be caught off-guard. In the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ writes letters to seven different churches. We are going to look at Revelation 2:1-7 which is addressed to the church at Ephesus. Each of the letters serves as an evaluation of where the church is in regard to its relationship with Christ. Ephesus was an important center of...
Forgiveness is an issue where even secular mental health professionals find themselves in agreement with the Bible. Clinging to unforgiveness can devastate others, but especially ourselves. However, forgiveness can be difficult to offer especially when we have been hurt, misunderstood or abused. We try to convince ourselves that we have earned the right not to offer or ask for forgiveness, but we must see how important forgiveness is to maintaining healthy relationships.
Everyone says that for...
Jesus told his disciples, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 (NIV). When we are confronted by a mountain we should ask, “Why is it there before exercising our faith to remove the mountain.”
We are conditioned to think of mountains in this context as obstacles that stand in our way or in the way of progress. Recently I was preparing to pre...
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“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.” 2 Corinthians 8:1–2 (NLT)
I returned home a few days ago from a 12 day mission’s trip to Mexico. Although Paul was speaking of the churches in Macedonia, what he says here is equally applicable to many of the churches and peop...
Last week I had the privilege of participating in a Mission’s Conference at Phoenix Christian Assembly hosted by Pastor Don Grosvenor. On behalf of the AGIF I made some comments to the conference regarding the importance of missions and the honor that we should bestow upon those who are serving the cause of the gospel on the front lines and working diligently to fulfill the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV)
Missionaries serve as ambassadors for the cause of the gospel to facilitate the...